"Forward-thinking businesses who are clever about the way they market themselves are continuing to do well," he stressed.

"Pubs are closing, but cafés are opening. Dorking is moving with the times and the successful businesses are developing themselves to modern ways.

"People's lives are changing, and they are using different shops. The scenery of Dorking is changing, and the businesses that can adapt to this change will be the ones that thrive," added Cllr Elderton.

He cited Dorking Butchery as one of the town's success stories.

Alex Emmett and Gary Corps opened the Dorking Butchery in February 2016 (Image: Surrey Mirror)

"We've got nothing but great things to say about having a business in Dorking," said Alex Emmett, one of the butchery's owners.

"When we were looking for a place to start our business, we thought Dorking would be a perfect choice.

"People are beginning to move out of London, and are settling in towns like Dorking so we have a really good customer base.

"We are lucky as the popularity of local butchers is on the rise, so we've been able to take advantage of that," he added.

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Charlotte Whitaker, from the Dorking Town Partnership, also believes that Dorking, despite the news of closures in the town, is still somewhere that businesses can make successes of themselves.

"Dorking is a fantastic town in the heart of the Surrey Hills offering an excellent customer service experience which locals and visitors continue to enjoy," she said.

Ms Whitaker added: "The vacancy rate in Dorking is 7.28% and the average for towns and cities in the UK is 12.3%. In recent months Sorrel, House of Beauty, The White Horse Hotel and art-K have opened and had a fantastic response.

"With the addition of Dorking Town Partnership, which businesses voted in last summer, businesses will now have extra support and advice at their disposal."

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